The Calm Before the Storm
The story begins on a perfect, sunny morning. Meet our captain. He is a cheerful man with a braided beard, responsible for his very own sailboat. He loves the warm sun and the calm, turquoise ocean. When the water is smooth, everything is easy, stable, and happy. He feels safe and perfectly anchored in the moment, just enjoying the ride. This is what it feels like when our minds are calm.
The Storm Hits!
Suddenly, the weather changed! The bright sky turned dark, swirling with angry grey and purple clouds. The wind began to howl, and the once-calm water turned into giant, rough, churning waves. The little boat was tossing and turning violently, angled sharply by the force of the storm. The captain got scared; he had to hold on tightly to the ship's wheel. He felt like his boat was drifting away, out of control.
This is just like when our hearts feel stormy with big emotions, or when our minds are busy with cloudy thoughts. We might feel scared, angry, or overwhelmed, and our attention starts to drift away.
Dropping the Anchor
Even though he was scared, the captain remembered what to do! He knew he couldn't stop the storm, but he could stop his boat from drifting away. He stopped panicking and stood tall. He took a deep, calm belly breath, filling his body with air. His body calmed down, and his brain could solve the problem.
"Yes! I can use my anchor!" he said.
He let go of the wheel and dropped his heavy, iron anchor into the churning water. As you can see, the anchor plunged straight down through the dark waves, sinking towards the calm bottom. The captain knew that once the anchor set, the boat would stop drifting. He was safe.
Anchored in the Present Moment
Did you know that your breath is just like that heavy anchor? The ocean storm is like big feelings (anger, sadness, or silliness) that make you feel choppy. When your mind is clouded with stormy thoughts, you can always go back to your breath, just like the child in this picture.
Look how he is sitting perfectly in his mindful position. His eyes are closed, and his hands are gently resting on his belly. He is taking a slow, deep 'belly breath.' This child isn't on the ocean, but he feels anchored. By focusing only on the feeling of his breath going in and out, he pulls his attention right back to the present moment. His body feels steady, stable, and safe, regardless of the 'weather' in his mind. You can use your belly breath anchor anytime you need to feel steady too!
Belly Boat Waves
Let’s fold an origami boat together!
Follow these steps to create your boat and then get ready to use it in our breathing challenge!
Once your boat is made, lie down and place it on your belly. Now, use your deep 'Balloon Belly' breathing to create gentle waves! See if you can make your boat rise high and sink low without it capsizing. How many steady waves can you make?
Seek & Find
In this brain game, your child is tasked with finding specific hidden objects within a busy scene. This activity builds visual scanning—the ability to systematically move the eyes across a surface to find details—which is a crucial pre-reading skill.
Examples:
- Find the dice.
- How many ducks can you see?
- Can you see the lip gloss? What about the mirror?